The Shehfe family started in the Sheep Casings business in Damascus, Syria in the year 1920, when Serhan T. Shehfe, father of Wadih, William, Emile and Albert, shipped the first thousand original Syrian sheep casings cleaned and salted to Vienna, Austria and several shipments followed in the same way. In 1936, Wadih, the eldest son, joined the family business and developed exports to the USA, always as original, cleaned sheep casings.

In 1940, Albert Shehfe started the first selection plant in the Middle East, in Alexandria Egypt, where casings sent from all over the Middle East were selected and assorted according to international standards. These were well preserved and could thus withstand long journeys of three to four months during World War II when shipped to the USA and Europe.

In 1948, Wadih and Emile Shehfe opened in the newly established free zone of Beirut, Lebanon, a large and modern selecting plant that operated until 1976 when it was bombed and destroyed during the Lebanese civil war. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

During that time, Albert continued the business in Alexandria and in 1976 was joined by his son Mounir and later on by his younger son, Nadim.

In 1982, the Shehfe's of Alexandria built a new selecting plant in the free zone of and expanded to become Shehfe Casings Company (Free Zone) Ltd.